I wish…

…all gas stations would have the option of no receipt for credit card usage at the pump.  It would save the stations money on paper because I think a good group of people would choose not to print one out.  I mean how many times have you seen "please see attendant" because it won't print your receipt?

…all gas stations would have squeegees and washer fluid actually in the squeegee bucket/holders.  Stop putting water in or watering down it because it freezes in winter!  I understand they have costs associated with it and realize when I pay $1.39 for a one liter MD that I would buy a two liter at K-Mart or Wal-Mart for that price or cheaper. 

…the people pulling into the gas stall would pull all the way through to the last one in the line instead of stopping short and making it harder for others.  Those people not pulling forward to the furthest pump when there is more than one open truly get under everyone’s skin.

…people that drive huge cars or trucks that don't pull forward far enough at the first pump leaving no room to pull into the second one behind them, basically taking up both pumps would get a clue.

…the people's inability to get close to a pump and if they do, they block the other one because the car is not straight and parallel with the pumps

…people would not be smoking while pumping gas.  Not for their own safety but others.  If they are that dumb and cannot follow directions on signs or common sense they might just deserve what they get, but others do not.

…the city and state would crack down on gas stations not putting up the price on the pylons.  At first when I contacted the state about it the problem was that the gas stations didn’t have extra number 2,3,4’s.  So with gas now back into the 1’s what is the reason?

…all gas stations would get electronic pylon signs, so the above one would not be a problem and much easier to see.

…the state would monitor gas stations more often for changing the price more than once a day.  I have contacted the state with proof numerous times with one in particular.  They send a letter not to do it again and after a few more times a small fine.

…gas stations would keep up the restrooms better!

…all the gas stations where on the pricing sign pylons where the eights are upside down in the price.  Let us not forget that the little loop goes on the top, the big loop goes on the bottom.

…all gas stations would have bulletproof glass for the tellers and very good video cameras inside and out.

…people not being considerate when you are turning back into traffic since they want to come in to the station.

…people next to you blasting their music with their Sub box would understand that we don’t need to hear it and their windows rattling

…the pumps would not ask me if I want a Car wash and ask me if I am sure

…people stealing your pump as you maneuver into position

…gas stations that when you put your card in the pump and start filling up and when you get to $50 it stops and makes you start over again.  VISA doesn’t have a problem with my $300 dollar purchase at Best Buy

…gas stations where the last open pump has a plastic bag on it and it has been that way for awhile!

…gas stations where the pumps that take an abnormally long time to fill up the gas tank.  Now I know that they do that to protect themselves from drive offs, but most stations now require prepay or credit card at pump.

…why with all of the technology they cannot make it so people don’t spill a few drops of gas on the ground putting the nozzle back

…gas stations where the attendants speak some English when you have to go in and pay or buy stuff.

…attendants, the ones that don’t speak very good English, would not be talking on the phone the entire time I am at the counter to pay.

…please don’t forget that the reason why gas stations charge so much for their beverages, candy, and other stuff is that they don't make that much money off of the gas.  Therefore, to stay in business or make a profit, they have to mark up their stuff.  Please do shop them every so often.

A garbage sorting plant in Edmonton, Alberta (where the IRL is racing today) will be home to an ethanol facility that will turn 100,000 tonnes or 100,000,000 kilograms of plastic, cardboard and paper into the fuel additive starting in 2010,

Read it all here

At this plant in Canada they got it right.  I have not problem with ethanol as a by-product.  Here they are using garbage.  I don’t like the subsidies we have left on ethanol in the U.S. as the product is fully in the market and should stand on its feet.  Only then will the companies making it look to reduce its cost, which may include the corn they buy and switch to something like garbage.  As I have said we need to drill for more oil, but we need a plan and future with alternatives not to supplant oil in the short term.  This is for the long term and it needs to be multiple points of attack on the problem.

Randy, just in case you were not aware of what ANWR really looks like.  Here is an email I received explaining it. 

Original Author unknown.

FIRST… do you know what ANWR is?

ANWR = Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.

Now…  A comparison

And some perspective…

 

NOTE WHERE THE PROPOSED DEVELOPMENT AREA IS…

(it's in the "ANWR Coastal Plain")

 

THIS IS WHAT THE DEMOCRATS, LIBERALS AND "GREENS" SHOW YOU WHEN THEY TALK ABOUT ANWR

…and they are right… these ARE photographs of ANWR

 

ISN'T ANWR BEAUTIFUL?  WHY SHOULD WE DRILL HERE (AND DESTROY) THIS BEAUTIFUL PLACE?

WELL… THAT'S NOT EXACTLY THE TRUTH

Do you remember the map?

Do you remember the map?

The map showed that the proposed drilling area is in the ANWR Coastal Plain

Do those photographs look like a coastal plain to you?

WHAT'S GOING ON HERE?

THE ANSWER IS SIMPLE…

THAT IS NOT WHERE THEY ARE WANTING TO DRILL!

THIS IS WHAT THE PROPOSED EXPLORATION AREA ACTUALLY LOOKS LIKE IN THE WINTER

 

AND THIS IS WHAT IT ACTUALLY LOOKS LIKE IN THE SUMMER

 

HERE ARE A COUPLE SCREEN SHOTS FROM GOOGLE EARTH

 

AS YOU CAN SEE, THE AREA WHERE THEY ARE TALKING ABOUT DRILLING IS A BARREN WASTELAND.

OH… AND THEY SAY THAT THEY ARE CONCERNED ABOUT THE EFFECT ON THE LOCAL WILDLIFE…

HERE IS A PHOTO (SHOT DURING THE SUMMER) OF THE
"DEPLETED WILDLIFE" SITUATION CREATED BY DRILLING AROUND PRUDHOE BAY *…
DON'T YOU THINK THAT THE CARIBOU REALLY HATE THAT DRILLING?

 

HERE'S THAT SAME SPOT DURING THE WINTER.

 

HEY, THIS BEAR SEEMS TO REALLY HATE THE PIPELINE NEAR PRUDHOE BAY *…

 

*The Prudhoe Bay area accounts for 17% of U.S. domestic oil production

NOW, WHY DO YOU THINK THAT THE DEMOCRATS ARE LYING ABOUT ANWR?

REMEMBER WHEN AL GORE SAID THAT
THE GOVERNMENT SHOULD WORK TO ARTIFICIALLY RAISE GAS PRICES
TO $5.00 A GALLON?

WELL…

AL GORE AND HIS FELLOW DEMOCRATS HAVE ALMOST REACHED THEIR GOAL!

NOW THAT YOU KNOW THAT THE DEMOCRATS HAVE BEEN LYING,
WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO ABOUT IT?

While I do not support a Windfall Tax on the oil companies I have been reminded that during the golden years of 1980-1989 of Ronald Reagan and George H. Bush had a windfall tax that was signed into to law by President Jimmy Carter in 1979.  It is my understand that at any time the sitting president could have taken it out.  It was not taken out until 1989.

When it comes to gas and oil I have to differ with my fellow conservatives.  I have blogged on that fact that I feel ethanol fuel is fine as long as it is not being made by taking away from food, but rather by waste by-products.

I do feel we need to open up more drilling and push for other alternative fuels.  I would even go as far as adding tax breaks and a tax income for startup companies to pioneer in alternates.  Yes, you read that correct a tax.  It would not be an added/new tax, just take a small percent of the federal gas tax that has to be used for roads and like wise and use that money.

 Instead of going to oil companies or chemical companies, this would be for small business looking at R/D.  Once they are gobbled up by a big company, pull the money.  Once they have a product, take the subsidy away.  This would be an incubation for businesses to look for alternate methods and solutions with “seed” money. 

Our economy is truly done on the small companies and this is who needs to help take charge.  Now a few of my friends say to add a windfall tax and use that money to do that very thing.  It sounds appealing, I just don’t know if it would work.

Instead of looking for one fix, we need to attack this from many directions with many different ideas.  We can drill our way out of the problem, but we need to be working on the next step now.  We have to drill now so our economy and that of the people is not damaged beyond repair.  There is noting wrong with make an incentive for the next thing now while we do have plenty of oil rather then wait until there is a real problem.  It has to be a two step process to work correctly for now and the future.

Is Ford going to have “Cylinder deactivation, Variable Cylinder Management, Displacement on demand” on any cars in the near future?  I know GM and other manufactures have them in place now.  Why has Honda been able to get a hydrogen car to market without Ford having one as well.

Dear Randy,

Thank you for contacting the Ford Motor Company Customer Relationship Center regarding the availability of Variable Cylinder Management in our vehicles.

There are no details at this time reflecting plans to put this vehicle option into commercial production.  From time to time, vehicle options are added, deleted or modified.  Decisions to make these changes take into account factors such as market trends, customer demands, engineering advances, and dealership input.

The Customer Relationship Center is unaware in advance of changes that our Engineering and Design Team may be making and the specific reasons that the changes may be made in the future.  This type of information is considered confidential until the appropriate media statement is released. 

I can tell you Ford is committed to raising fuel standards while lowering emissions.  Ford is moving forward on bring back the turbo and moving the Hydrogen based cars from concept to production models.  Our competition currently has them out on a lease-based option.  Currently they will only be made available for the California market, as their law dictates a percentage of zero emission vehicles.  Ford sees this as the future of the auto industry.  Ford is working on making this happen in the not so distant future, within the next ten years or so.  Hydrogen cars will be the norm once the infrastructure is in place throughout the United States.

Honda Begins Production of Zero-Emission Hydrogen Cars

Honda Motor Co. has begun commercial production of its new zero-emission, hydrogen fuel cell car, called the FCX Clarity.

Source: Foxnews

The high gas prices Milwaukee saw a few years ago (2002-2003), boosting our prices to California prices, was a test by the oil industry to see what price people would still pay for gas.  What better place to test then Milwaukee, Wisconsin a test bed, if it sells here, it will sell elsewhere.  High prices are here to stay, we proved it years ago.

There is enough oil, but we cannot turn it into gas.  The gas refineries do this to fatten the bottom line.  Our problem is the oil companies control the refineries as well.  Gas does not follow the supply and demand that we all learned about in school. 

Oil futures shot to a new record above $100 Tuesday for the first time since Jan. 3 as investors bet prices will keep climbing despite evidence of plentiful supplies and falling demand.

Just a search on Google for “oil jumps” gives us these and more:

Oil jumps more than $2 on U.S. spending report

Oil climbs $2 on surprise drop in supplies

Oil jumps on US stockpile report

Oil jumps 3 percent on supply worries, weak dollar

Oil Jumps on Turkish Iraq Incursion

Oil jumps $4 on central bank move

Oil jumps $4 after pipeline blast

Crude oil jumps $2 barrel on gas concerns

Oil higher on possible strong dollar

Oil jumps more than $1 - Oil pipeline fire kills 2 in Minn.

Oil jumps as Opec refuses to lift production

Crude jumps nearly $3 after mortgage plan; natural gas rallies ...

Oil and Gas jump holiday time

Oil jumps $3 on central bank plan, U.S. stock draw

Oil jumps after attack on U.S. ships, Ecuador halt

Oil jumps to $98 on winter fear - New Jersey Gas Prices

Oil Jumps on News of Nigerian Strike

Oil jumps on tough Iran talk

Oil Jumps As Saudis Shift Policy

Oil jumps $4 after Canada-U.S. pipeline fire

Oil prices push up higher by speculation that there wouldn't be enough when summer driving season begins.  Memorial Day opens that season.  Oil can jump on anything even fear.  Only if the U.S. were in a recession, then it would bring down the price of oil and gas.

It once was if oil moved up so did gas.  That is not necessarily the case now.  Crude oil makes up about 45% of the price of gas; federal, state and local taxes are 23%.  The rest mainly goes to refineries, with a few percent to retailers.

High gas prices raise questions of gouging and when they are found guilty, they get a slap on the wrist.  So where is that money going?  Are profiteers manipulating the market?  Economists say oil producers and refiners, not gas stations, are reaping a windfall.  Judging by history and laws of the market, it will be very hard to find evidence of impropriety if you truly want to look for it.

Collusion: The U.S. Federal Trade Commission has investigated the U.S. oil industry several times over the years but did not find that companies worked together to raise gasoline prices.

It is not illegal under U.S. law for a company to act on its own to restrict supplies or close a refinery that may lead to higher pump prices.  Oil companies are also permitted to practice so-called "zone pricing," where they charge different gasoline prices in a specific location or city, which often result in pump costs being higher at service stations located just blocks apart.

Gasoline could go from 10% ethanol up to 20%

Algae for Fast-Growing Biodiesel

A Texas plant scientist and entrepreneur thinks the microscopic algae plant, aka pond scum, could be the next big thing in the energy sector. About 50 percent of an algae plant is oil that could be used to create biodiesel to fuel vehicles.

Glen Kertz's innovation is a patented system called "Vertigro," in which algae is cultivated in long rows of vertically hanging, movable plastic bags.  This system optimizes surface area for growth, yielding 100,000 gallons of oil per year per acre.

Kertz says that cultivating algae is another way to derive useful energy from solar power, and that his solution could help deal with global warming.  Algae plants are among the world's fastest-growing plant species.

More cars use pricier premium gas